'Diligent and committed' - Fianna Fáil's Andrea McKevitt elected Cathaoirleach of Dundalk
Cllr McKevitt takes over from Fine Gael’s Robert Nash
Fianna Fáil councillor Andrea McKevitt has been elected as the new Cathaoirleach of the Dundalk Municipal District.
She takes the chains from Fine Gael councillor Robert Nash.
Cllr McKevitt said she was deeply honoured by be elected by her councillors following a roll-call vote.
Sinn Féin’s Sionnain McCann was also nominated for the position by party colleague Kevin Meenan.
Cllr McKevitt won the subsequent vote by seven votes to four, with Independent Maeve Yore and the Green Party’s Marianne Butler abstaining.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said it is an honour to serve the people of Dundalk for the coming year and acknowledged there was a contest for the role.
“I appreciate not everyone sitting in this chamber will be happy with this evening’s result but I hope we can move forward and work together, because it is what we here in the Dundalk MD do best.
We might have disagreements but we can all agree we come in here to do the best for the areas that elected us,” she said.
Cllr McKevitt was nominated by party colleague and Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Cllr Seán Kelly.
He said Cllr McKevitt has been “steadfast for the people of the Cooley Peninsula since she has been elected”.
“She is somebody who is incredibly diligent and committed to her role as a councillor and to public service,” he said.
The new Cathaoirleach said she had a great sense of pride and identity being from the Cooley Peninsula and thanked her family for their support.
She said they taught her to “be proud of where I come from and never back down”.
“Those debates around the kitchen table over dinner watching the Six One news would prepare me for the Council chamber,” she said.
Despite the contest, Sinn Féin’s Cllr Meenan said he could guarantee his party would support her throughout her term adding they are “always a phone call away”.
“You’ve got a great team around you. You’ll be a fine ambassador for Dundalk I have no doubt,” he said.
Cllr McKevitt thanked and congratulated the outgoing Cathaoirleach Cllr Robert Nash calling him an “exceptional ambassador for the town”.
Cllr Nash said it was an “honour and a privilege to serve in this role for the last 12 months”.
He said he took the role with “enthusiasm and some trepidation” and said the “significance and responsibility of the role was not something I took lightly”.
“It’s been a whirlwind year that has passed by so quickly and I have experienced some extraordinary events and met some wonderful people.”
“We have a wonderful town full of wonderful and interesting people and the last 12 months has allowed me to see the best that Dundalk has to offer,” he said.
Fine Gael’s John Reilly was also elected Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Dundalk MD.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.